There are many students who are afraid of placing a smudge
on their test booklets. These students don’t write down any formulas
or equations. They don’t make any new diagrams. They don’t score
very well on the SAT either.

Get over your respect for the SAT test booklet. Write
all over those rough, recycled pages. When you are finished, your
test booklet should be covered with scrawls, notes, computations,
and drawings. In fact, the simple act of writing something down
for every item will help improve your SAT score. It forces you to
put your thoughts down on paper, instead of trying to solve items
in your head. If you try to answer items in your head, the SAT will
chew you up and spit you out.